Boys basketball: February 2008 Archives

By Patrick Mooney

Go ahead and try to decipher this wild playoff game. Drew Crawford, as one reporter pointed out afterward, finished with 40 points and was not the game's leading scorer. What did Central show you on Wednesday night? How do the Redhawks match up against Glenbard West? How far can they go in the Class 4A tournament?

Box score after the jump...

By Brad Engel
Maybe, and that's only if Ryan Haggerty avoids a spell like the one he had against Lake Park on Monday.

By Patrick Mooney

ST. CHARLES - The Warriors woke up on Feb. 15 atop the UEC standings with an 8-0 record, needing a split of their final two games to earn a share of the title, or a sweep to win it outright.

They almost certainly didn't want to consider the third scenario, which unfolded on consecutive Friday nights. Elgin first submitted a blueprint on how to beat Waubonsie, and St. Charles East -- with its inside strength and shifting zone defenses -- drafted an entirely different one a week later.

The fallout from Friday night’s 74-72 loss at St. Charles East means rival Neuqua Valley alone celebrates an Upstate Eight Conference championship.

By Patrick Mooney

ELGIN – Waubonsie Valley saw its mirror image in Elgin, and the reflection shattered its perfect conference record. What could have been a Friday night celebration scene -- with the Warriors clinching a share of the Upstate Eight title -- instead ended in a 73-58 defeat.

The Maroons did a huge favor for idle Neuqua Valley (20-7, 8-1), which is now tied atop the UEC standings with Waubonsie (20-5, 8-1). Neuqua concludes its conference schedule at Larkin (1-22, 0-9) on Friday, when Waubonsie will travel to St. Charles East (12-12, 5-4).

The UEC does not recognize the head-to-head matchup as a tiebreaker in this case, meaning Waubonsie’s win over Neuqua in January does not carry extra weight, and the two rivals will be forced to share the championship if they win out.

(UPDATED: The Beacon News is reporting two West Aurora starters have been suspended.)

Naperville Central coach Pete Kramer was spotted in the Benet stands on Tuesday night in Lisle, ostensibly scouting Wheaton North one more time before: a.) the regular season finale that could decide the DuPage Valley Conference title; and b.) a potential 4-5 matchup in the Naperville North Regional.